Ahhh Saturday ~ our day off. We all met for a long leisurely breakfast at Melis, our favorite coffee juice bar. I have become addicted to fresh squeezed green apple juice.
We went in different directions. Scott ran 7 miles. He is recovered and back to marathon training for the Athens Marathon he will run on November 11th. Leslie, Zoe, Karen, Scott and I went to the cemetery. Leslie bought flowers and we put them on the graves of the refugees. There were simple markers on the graves, some in arabic, some in english, many many marked with the greek word for “Unknown” and the date. Phew! I felt like I couldn’t breathe. The sadness was overwhelming. A marker with no name, just date and a number. Are there family members or friends searching for this unidentified man, woman or child? There were many smaller graves for children, again many “Unknown”.
We then visited Omar’s warehouse. He is racing to build shelves and get it open for next week. He is an amazing person. His life dedicated to assisting refugees is so many ways. The warehouse will be a clothing distribution center. Warm clothes are going to be needed soon. Many refugees are already saying they’re cold at night and the weather has not turned yet. Gen has been working construction with Omar’s team – she is an amazing young woman!!!!
Georgia is a bit under the weather today. We are hoping a day of rest will keep her healthy as she is such a valuable provider. She gives her all tirelessly to every single patient. Her magic herbal ointments are amazing too. We are so lucky to have her and Leslie on our team! Often they both don’t even get a lunch break or get only 3 spoonfuls of food before they are responding to the next patient.
The Kitrinos team had a dinner party and all of us and the translators came. Semas’s mother cooked an amazing, really amazing meal for us. She was a professional chef in Iraq! There was laughter and dancing and word games. Again this international family Syria, Congo, Iraq, Palestine, Germany, UK, USA – we share so many similarities and sharing our cultures is celebratory. Being at this party, the resilience of everyone, able to laugh and dance despite all the difficult circumstances, gives me hope.
